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Mr Peppers explains his findings. "Dimensional anchor. A useful spell... or was." He takes out his spellbook and methodically flips to a specific page, almost as if he knew exactly which page.
"Give me a minute, I need to prepare a new spell to help bypass that wretched gas room. I can take 3 of you with me safely, decide amongst yourselves who that should be." He looks at the injured cleric and nods. "You Prissa was it? You should be one of the three with your injuries."
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Stali jerks his head to look at Sirettis when she answers his question, then more slowly returns his gaze to Priss. Kind of hard to catch someone in a deceit when others answer for them. Oh well, it can’t be helped now.
When Tall, Dark and Magical offers to quickly transport some out, he pauses a moment in thought.
“I can see the sense in getting her past the poisonous gas, but there is also danger in splitting the party that much.”
He nervously clacks his beak a few times, then suggests “I believe Sirettis is the best healer, so she should go. Then one of the warriors...” He turns and gestures towards Uesugi and Gallix “...should be the other to keep them safe.”
“I guess the rest of us will just have to hurry across the room and up the stairs as quickly as we can.”
He didn’t mention how some are already hurt by the gas they were exposed to.
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"The succubus. She controlled our minds. Made us do horrible things," Prissa replies.
Sirettis closes up her lungs and flies out to safety, avoiding being poisoned again.
Gallix, , and Prissa place their hands on Mr. Peppers shoulder, and no sooner had Tall, Dark, and Gone whispered a single word than he and the three others disappeared and reappeared in the library.
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I guess Sirettis will leave under her own power...
Seeing Sirettis fly away, Stali looks at Uesugi and then Mr. Peppers. Turning back to Uesugi he says “I can move faster and more easily through the chamber with the poison gas.”
Gesturing towards Mr, Peppers, he offers “You should go with Mr, Peppers.”
He takes out his wayfinder and adjusts it so he has some light. Taking a few deep breathes, he then attempts to fill his lungs and then moves out into the poisonous room.
As he is hopping between the support beams, he forgets and breathes in a small amount of the gas. Fortunately he immediately coughed it back out and makes it through the area.
He then rushes up the stairs to rejoin the rest of the group.
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Mr Peppers quickly releases himself from physical contact with the others as they arrive back in the library. "Impressive. That was the first time I've used that spell to carry more than myself to the lavatory and back. Quite nice." He immediately sets himself down for a breather as he waits for the others.
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CRB, pg. 555
Ability Damage
This damage does not actually reduce an ability, but it does apply a penalty to the skills and statistics that are based on that ability.
For every 2 points of damage you take to a single ability, apply a –1 penalty to skills and statistics listed with the relevant ability. If the amount of ability damage you have taken equals or exceeds your ability score, you immediately fall unconscious until the damage is less than your ability score. The only exception to this is your Constitution score. If the damage to your Constitution is equal to or greater than your Constitution score, you die. Unless otherwise noted, damage to your ability scores is healed at the rate of 1 per day to each ability score that has been damaged. Ability damage can be healed through the use of spells, such as lesser restoration.
Ability Drain: Ability drain actually reduces the relevant ability score. Modify all skills and statistics related to that ability. This might cause you to lose skill points, hit points, and other bonuses. Ability drain can be healed through the use of spells such as restoration.
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Prissa frowns at Mr. Peppers. "Oh, I'm so sorry you went through this just to save me. They'll be able to help us upstairs, I promise! High Priestess Saphira must be terribly worried. We should be getting back, unless there's anything more you'd like to do in this... awful place..." She glances around the room, and notices the succubus' corpse, at which point she quickly covers her eyes and curls up.
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She glances around the room, and notices the succubus' corpse, at which point she quickly covers her eyes and curls up.
"She's dead. There is no need to curl up like that."
D. shrugs, and the body is tossed away, a good 20ft from the priestess, landing with a *THUD* against some wall beyond.
"You can open your eyes again."
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The journal isn't magical, but the contents are interesting. This is clearly Baldimar's journal. Inside are a dozen entries chronicling his research. They begin with Baldimar writing of studying demons and his frustration with those around him for being so fearful of what he was experimenting with. As a result, Baldimar decided to go into hiding. He secured proper funds - from sources including the Decemvirate - to build a covert lab in which to research demons, though he never told anyone he'd completed it, and that it was beneath Cayden's Hall.
Baldimar's experiments became more daring over the years, until he was finally able to summon the demon Graz'ith Ur Maurgith, binding it to a room. He was sure the wards he'd put up would secure the demon while he did his research.
His last entry is scribbled and unintelligible, almost as if it was written when he was drunk.
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"I don't think so." Stali says after a moment of consideration. No signs of Guaril Karela being were involved. If it were shady, I would expect him to have his grubby fingers in it.
"They are usually pretty clear when it is a clean up mission. Warnings about not telling anyone else, avoid detection, those sorts of things."
Shaking his head, he says "No, I think it is more a matter of the mess spilling out and people realizing there might be something of use to be found here."
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"Yeah, sounds like this is more about containment that anything else. I mean, we met that little idiot of a quasit earlier. I'd guess that was just the first sign of this spilling out. We're here to clean the rest up." He turns his gaze toward the final statue and says in a gruff undertone, "Let's grab our mops and buckets."
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After ensuring it's clear of traps, Stali activates the third and final statue. The bookcase to the northwest slides open to reveal a staircase that ends in a door.
Beyond the door, several sealed casks line the south wall, pressed against a work desk fitted along the room’s curved corner. Within a wide alcove at the far end of the chamber rests a bed with moldering sheets and a hope chest at its foot. Near the bed balances a crooked wardrobe adjacent to simple brown robes dangling from pegs. On another wall hangs a map of the area around Lake Encarthan. Pinned along its perimeter hang dozens of faded papers, diagrams, and notes.
All of the room’s cloth items are moldered and frail, and fall apart when handled. The hope chest holds blankets, while the wardrobe contains more cleric’s robes. The notes are faded beyond value or recognition.
Inside the desk are more faded papers, quills, and dried bottles of ink.
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Seeing how fragile the notes and clothing are, Stali does his best to avoid brushing up against any of them. I wonder if there is any way to restore them? If there is, it is likely easier if I don’t cause them to fall apart!
He approaches the chest and carefully checks it for any traps.
Satisfied, he then gets out his bundle of tools and opens the simple lock.
Looking in, he announces “More faded papers and old writing supplies.”
He then checks to make sure there are no hidden compartments in the desk.
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Seeing all the faded papers and molded cloth, Gallix turns to his more magically inclined friends. "Well I'm out of my depth here. You two have anything you can do to restore this stuff? See if it's worth anything?" He looks around the room more generally, checking for signs of any more hidden compartments or anything of that sort.
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Mr Peppers similarly scans the room for magical goodness, his eyes turn a fantastic shade of blue as he casts the spell and scans with a sharp eye, being quite disappointed in the writings being faded and illegible.
"With a good cleaning crew and maybe some powerful decontamination magic, this could be a very fine study once more. I'd prefer a cleaner mode of entry however. Climbing down through a sewer like entrance isn't very appealing."
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The drawers, papers, and room in general appears lacking in magical auras or really anything interesting. Whoever painted this picture probably should have put something a little more fun in this room.
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With Prissa and the journal in tow, and the demon menace defeated, you emerge from the temple to a crowd of gathered clerics and High Priestess Saphira applauding your return.
"Oh, you're back! Thank heavens! And with one of our own!" Prissa is quickly handed a mug of ale as the cheers quiet down. "But what of the others? And just what was down there?"
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<Well, what will you tell them?>
Sirettis helps Prissa back up to the surface and is offered more ale. That seems to be their solution to everything around here. Sirettis would usually want a private audience with the High Priestess but that's not how they do things here.
The truth. Of course.
"There were once four. But now only Prissa lives." Sirettis waits for that information to sink in. "Brother Baldimar created a laboratory to study demons, and bound a very powerful one underneath." Sirettis turns to Brother Dunnamast. "You were assaulted by a succubus, a demon of lust and seduction. She used her abilities to discover the laboratory, control some of the temple guards, and ultimately free her master."
<Are you certain the demon was female? Shapeshifting has all sorts of odd ramifications->
Not now, please.
"The people who funded this laboratory, in secret- they have much to answer to. Including our own leaders. Evil is not a toy to be played with but a blot that must be wiped away and discarded. The demons are dead thanks to the efforts of my friends, but it could have been much worse."
Sirettis is blunt, a bit upset about the Society's involvement in this, and the obvious risk a secret demon lab posed.
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Mr Peppers nods along with Sirettis's descriptions. "Powerful demons, now deceased. Along with as they said, 3 bodies of your faithful. A vast library of demonic knowledge as well. Please do not let that knowledge go to waste, it came at a steep cost." With that Mr Peppers hands over the journal to Saphira.
"This gas Stali speaks of, it is quite destructive on one's lungs. If your church has any powerful restorative magic we would be much obliged." He coughs up a bit of bloodied phlegm, and not knowing what else to do with it, struggles to wipe it on his cloak sleeve. I'll clean that soon enough.
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The High Priestess' expression varies from surprise, to genuine intrigue, and then her sullen eyes bead with tears as she lowers her head at the news of the dead clerics. "Thank you, Pathfinders. I will request assistance from the guards to retrieve the bodies from below and provide the deceased with a proper burial. Prissa, I am so thankful for your return," she says, placing her hand on the cleric's shoulder.
The guards depart down below, bringing clerics with them to deal with any potential inhalation of poisonous fumes you'd warned them about.
A short time later, Osprey and Xersus return to the Hall and listen to your explanation. "A secret lab beneath a temple... Absurd. Please, I ask that you not repeat the nature of your mission to anyone, at least until facts can be sorted out and the Decemvirate has time to further assess things."
Once the crowd has dispersed back into the temple to continue 'worshipping', the High Priestess again approaches. "I almost forgot, Pathfinders, we will gladly offer you restoration services. I welcome you here at Cayden's Hall at any time. I grant you the title of Honored Guests of the Hall! You will never have to pay for anything under this roof!"
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While Osprey and Xersus are debriefing them, Stali mentions “We did find his journal down there. It seems his final entry involved attempting an experiment while under the influence of alcohol.”
A glint of mischief evident in his eye, he adds “In the future, those funding such experiments might want to inquire about the safety procedures.”
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<You cannot trust them. Where did the demon come from, then? Why would Prissa make up such a story? Where did Baldimar receive such funding?>
They claim it is absurd, and yet they wish us to keep it secret. Sirettis nods silently as Osprey and Xerrsus brief them. Not that the Sovereign Court is exactly open.
<Is this what you feared? That I would... use you like a disposable toy? When the demons inflicted you with fear.>
Sirettis pays attention to High Priestess Saphira, rather than the voice in her head. Anything to take her mind off. It was a dilemma she had pondered ever since she charmed her way to freedom, thanks to this voice in the wind. "Thank you, High Priestess. We are glad to have helped you and your temple."
Once the meeting is over (and Gallix is fully enjoying the post-celebration celebration afterparty), she turns to Stali. "Stali, thank you for your aid in this endeavor. You are an ally of the Red Arm of Absalom. If you ever wish to travel with us again, it would be our pleasure. But if this is good bye, then I wish you good luck."
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A secret lab beneath a temple... Absurd. Please, I ask that you not repeat the nature of your mission to anyone, at least until facts can be sorted out and the Decemvirate has time to further assess things.
"Ah, yes. By 'further assess' you mean to clean house and cover up your dirty ties to such an event."
Later, to Stali,
With such a short time spent, and Sirettis already thanking Stali, D. just extends his hand to shake Stali's hand.
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“I have to report to Sorinna Westyr tomorrow. They have another assignment for me.”
Running a talon along the edge of his cloak, he admits “As for the magic, it does seem I need to upgrade my defenses a bit.”
Looking back at Mr. Peppers, he adds “They shift me around groups a lot, I wouldn’t be surprised if I get assigned with your group again someday.”
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The Elf's eyes glow blue as he casts detect magic, eyeballing Stali's outward gear. He pauses to closely assess his cloak. "Yes, your cloak seems to be only minimally enchanted to protect mind, body, and soul. Perhaps you should start there." He smiles and waves goodbye.
"Until we meet again." He heads off to find himself some peace and solitude, and a fine warm bath.
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<Listen to me! LISTEN TO ME!> It bellows in a language only Sirettis understands. Sirettis is used to these nights, and spends her time watching the wind chimes blow in the wind. She wonders how its winds are localized to her alone. Sometimes the chimes stand still as she fights back. Sometimes the chimes are tossed about as she remains still. Sirettis ponders if it's a demiplane, or a psychosis effect, or-
<When that demon frightened you, you screamed about how I was controlling you. But I grant you so much power! Is that really how you feel? I- I thought we were friends, like your Red Arm! Or at least partners!>
Sirettis snaps back. You do not understand what a partnership means. You believe a partner simply follows your commands, or you pummel them against a cliff. Partnerships, friendships- it is a life of give and take. I wonder if you will expire like Grasping Storm- alone, forcing slaves to keep you company while the powerful mock you from above.
You may grant me the power, but understand that I do not owe you anything. If you wish to be a partner, if you wish to be a friend, then listen to me. Open your heart again. You have been slighted once, but that does not mean it will always happen.
The chimes dance about as Sirettis remains still. <I... I don't know... But I will try. The others abandon me. Driven to madness, they say. But you. You listen to me. I- I will treasure this.>
Sirettis begins her day feeding Isa, washing herself and then pulling out a special piece of parchment. With her inkbrush, she begins drawing. "We haven't needed you yet. I hope this continues to be a waste of my time." She infuses her magic into the heavy parchment before rolling it up and storing it away.
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Quiet ever since speaking to the priestess Uesugi bows respectfully to the tengu as he departs from the group.
"The tengu provided much assistance in this last venture. We should be fortunate to see him return hopefully. Now before we see what next task The Ten have in store for us let us stop by Madame Poshkettle's teahouse. A little rest is needed for me to reflect." with that he heads to find the teahouse.
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The next chapter in the Red Arm of Absalom's largely successful and profitable tour takes them to the ruined city of Koor, located in the northern part of Qadira in the Zho Mountains.
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Venture-Captain Osretia Cassomiran welcomes you to her office, and delivers a curt briefing over spiced tea and sweet incense as she peruses an overflowing bookshelf distractedly. "I need to send you to Koor, where a valuable Pathfinder agent has seemingly disappeared. Her name is Zahra Kadamizi—a gifted scholar and archaeologist, and one of the most knowledgeable agents I know on the topic of genies. Perhaps you've ... somehow met her before?"
"When she last reported in, she was searching for an ancient Toragdan vault-turned-prison hidden amid Koor’s crumbling ruins."
Osretia drops a heavy book on a table with a dull thud; its cover reads Moukadeem, the Drowned Emir of the Ever-Thirsting Oasis. She opens the book and begins to read aloud.
"Deep within Koor, in the year four thousand twenty, Absalom Reckoning, I, Ahmad of the North, trapped the mighty marid Moukadeem in an iron lamp, casting a seal of solitude upon it. Let none free him, may Torag be praised. And thus I threw the lamp into the steel vault of the mighty Father of Creation below the forge-city Koor...”"
Osretia leaned back, and took a sip from her tea. "This is clearly why Zahra went looking for the vault, and perhaps why she’s gone silent if she found it. I want you to collect her notes, penetrate the vault, and bring her back safely. If you should find this storied iron lamp, of course you must bring it back as well. Any questions?”
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Moukadeem
Koor
Gallix has spent almost as much time in the libraries as Mr Peppers has over the last few weeks. Despite his recent discovery of reading, however, he knows only a little of Moukadeem.
”Hold up, captain! We’re talking about Moukadeem, The Mad Marid, here? Oh man! He’s a bad dude! He plagued the headwaters of the River Ladan over 700 years ago! Why would want to bring his lamp out of Koor?!”
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"Ah, Zahra went missing?" Sirettis frowns.
"What do I remember about the Moukadeem?"
"He was called The Mad Marid, known for his cruelty. He had many human female concubines in the Qadiran region. A high priest of Torag bound him into a lamp and tossed him into Koor's smelting house as punishment. But many undines from the Qadiran region can trace their heritage to him."
She ponders. <Perhaps someone is trying to free him? This Zahra person may have gotten too close>
"And the Koor..."
"Abandoned in the war between Qadira and Taldor. No one has tried repopulating the city for centuries."